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1 hour ago, Upfront said:

you ARE kidding right? KNOWITALL? how unlike you to belittle an opinion that differs from yours. well i have news for you. i eat there ALL THE TIME and there has never been a lineup. in fact it is a very rare ocasion when i even have to wait behind someone. you talk to raj and find out for yourself before spitting on someone else. he knows all too well. he has tried everything. he is a great guy who deserves success. he has been foiled by grumpys. probably people liek you. in fac, just like you, becuse you CANT HANDLE MUCH HEAT. he is catering to your crowd. exactly.

Geesh!!!

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19 hours ago, slainte39 said:

But only in Wyoming is it legal to hunt them.

Eastern Oregon also has a short open season.  Most years you have to be lucky and draw a tag. Too many bar owners going out and decimating the population. There's one in most Eastern Oregon bars in case you want a closer look.

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On 12/21/2020 at 8:21 AM, nolajoe said:

Thanks for the heads up. I've been to Al Meraj in Guadalajara and enjoyed the food.

We also like Al Meraj in Guadalajara. We usually go once a month.

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On 12/21/2020 at 8:32 AM, happyjillin said:

In case you haven't noticed  Magnolias in chapala is owned by an Indian chef and I can tell you from experience his offerings are superb and they deliver. I order extra hot. I checked out Al Marej on FB and their offerings appear to be the same so it ain't gonna be anything new here.

I think Al Meraj in Guadalajara has a larger menu than Magnolias. Both have good food.

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We've been going to Al Meraj in GDL for a number of years.  Their food is exceptional and their menu varied.  We've ordered food from Magnolia in Chapala on three occasions and have zero to complain about except that their menu is very, very limited.  "Al Meraj Grill & Pak Indian Cuisine" in GDL, on Juan Keplar (just in behind the very large Soriana Hiper Las Águilas) is, in our opinion, exceptional and the menu fairly extensive.  From what we were told before our very first visit, prior to opening, the owner travelled to Vancouver, Canada, and received in-depth training in Indian cuisine.  From that very first visit, now several years ago, we've come to believe that he'd been trained well.  We also have to say that during every visit (we always park in the Soriana lot which is no more than 50 mtrs. from the restaurant), the restaurant (which is tiny, and not fancy) is always packed.  We've eaten Indian food in a number of countries and we would put Al Meraj in the "very very good" category!

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On 12/21/2020 at 8:32 AM, happyjillin said:

In case you haven't noticed  Magnolias in chapala is owned by an Indian chef and I can tell you from experience his offerings are superb and they deliver. I order extra hot. I checked out Al Marej on FB and their offerings appear to be the same so it ain't gonna be anything new here.

Since "crappyjillan" once again rambles:  Take a look at the following and you'll get a really good look at the food from Al Meraj. It would be simply wonderful if Magnolias could offer similar, but they currently cannot!

https://www.google.com/search?q=al+meraj+grill+%26+pak+indian+cuisine+Ajijic&client=safari&rls=en&sxsrf=ALeKk02bSOWqS_I3gwWvlnvX8yaIEH1Q-w:1609368491382&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=VTmM6I0QntTLFM%2CH0rxstQhHxckzM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kQK8s2qwabzG2LNbTz3rPk-qnrxxQ&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwib8vbp5PbtAhUDXK0KHcx9DtYQ9QF6BAgPEAE#imgrc=VTmM6I0QntTLFM

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I like how he is so macho ordering everything "extra hot", even dishes which are not meant to be extra hot. Sort of like dumping salt and pepper on a Chefs carefully prepared dish before you have even tasted it. India, Pakistani and Mexican cuisines all have a few dishes which are extra hot, most are quite mild. They can always be accented with pickles, salsas and chutneys of various fire.

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1 hour ago, CHILLIN said:

I like how he is so macho ordering everything "extra hot", even dishes which are not meant to be extra hot. Sort of like dumping salt and pepper on a Chefs carefully prepared dish before you have even tasted it. India, Pakistani and Mexican cuisines all have a few dishes which are extra hot, most are quite mild. They can always be accented with pickles, salsas and chutneys of various fire.

I said earlier that I told him I want it hot/spiced the way he likes it  not how he would prepare it for the average ferner here[you maybe?] and that does not apply to every course on each delivery menu now does it oh wise one. You really are a pip aintcha gary waller.

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I'm not about to make assumptions about what the "average ferner" prefers.  Who knows, and who's taken a survey, anyway?  Expats I happen to know have a wide variety of same. I'm a little curious about the slight attitude of superiority some folks take credit for, for their own personal taste.

On the "hot and spicy" issue, the flavor of the dish itself does not depend on the level of heat.  That can always be added.  You just can't reduce it once it's there.  Maybe the answer to those heat lovers is to "bring your own".  Each body is different in its reaction to foods. Personally, I'm a fan of the wonderful flavors found in good Indian cuisine.  Some of the best dishes on planet Earth aren't hot and spicy, nor did they originate in the U.S.

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Many Indian dishes are sauce-based and are cooked, then simmered for a long time.  The chilies that go into those sauces need to bloom and mature in the cooking process and permeate the sauce.  Adding heat after the dish is cooked will not give the same result as chilies simmering for hours in a vindaloo or a Kerala curry.  

There are always a few items on Indian menus such as butter chicken that don't use chilies. 

I applaud restaurateurs who stick to authentic recipes. 

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I can only agree in part, Gringal. Many flavours depend entirely on what peppers/chils are employed. Of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of salsas made here in Mexico, almost all of them rely directly on the base chili for their flavour. One cannot separate the heat from the flavour. Adobe sauce, made from chilis, is a favorite for chipotles. I am no Indian food expert, but generally recipes seem to call for chili, without specifying the type, so you may be correct from that point of view.

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1 hour ago, AndyPanda said:

I am no Indian food expert, but generally recipes seem to call for chili, without specifying the type, so you may be correct from that point of view.

I am not an expert, but had some Indian co-workers and we all shared a love of food and talking about it. 

Authentic Indian recipes call for specific chilies and other spices, just the same as Mexican recipes.  Recipes for Indian dishes aimed at the non-Indian home cook will often generalize ingredients since SE Asian chilies won't often be found in chain grocery stores in non-SE Asian countries.  In communities with large Indian populations these fresh chilies can be found; in other areas there are dried versions of Indian chilies available at specialty stores; and online you can order a wide variety of dried Indian chilies.  

I can accept a substitute chile when needed, as long as the substitute closely resembles the proper chile in heat level (Scoville units) and flavor.  What I find offensive is dumbing down the heat/flavor and telling customers to add hot sauce to the meal when it's served.  That's like baking an apple pie and leaving out the cinnamon to please a bland palate, then pass around a jar of ground cinnamon to other customers when serving the pie.  Yes, those customers will be able to add cinnamon to their pie at the table, but it will not be the same as a pie baked for an hour with cinnamon in the apple mixture.  

Spices need to develop their flavor during the cooking process.  

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2 hours ago, AndyPanda said:

I can only agree in part, Gringal. Many flavours depend entirely on what peppers/chils are employed. Of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of salsas made here in Mexico, almost all of them rely directly on the base chili for their flavour. One cannot separate the heat from the flavour. Adobe sauce, made from chilis, is a favorite for chipotles. I am no Indian food expert, but generally recipes seem to call for chili, without specifying the type, so you may be correct from that point of view.

Andy: I wasn't referring to Mexican salsas.  My solution to the extra hot but tasty Mexican dishes depending on heat was suggested to me years ago, and it works....at least for me.  Add some crema. (This may be a gastronomic sin, but it's a solution.😁)  

Bisbee Gal:  That comparison is a bit extreme. I've never heard of anyone getting Gerd from apple pie with cinnamon. This issue is really not about taste as much as it is about our individual body's response to foods.  As it happens, we are fortunate in this area to have many choices for dining.  Many cuisines don't depend on chiles: Italian and French, for two instances.  However, I realize I'm veering off the topic. Please forgive that.

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From everything I've been able to find, there are green chilis and red, throughout India, and cooks buy whatever is local, either dark or light. And I just haven't seen recipes that call for a particular type, although there are certainly many kinds (http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/cp_indiz.html)

Perhaps professional chefs have created recipes calling for specifics, but as chilis are a "new world" food, I am curious what India used for heat before they were introduced, apart from Cayennes.

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7 hours ago, AndyPanda said:

I can only agree in part, Gringal. Many flavours depend entirely on what peppers/chils are employed. Of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of salsas made here in Mexico, almost all of them rely directly on the base chili for their flavour. One cannot separate the heat from the flavour. Adobe sauce, made from chilis, is a favorite for chipotles. I am no Indian food expert, but generally recipes seem to call for chili, without specifying the type, so you may be correct from that point of view.

    In India food is their medicine. In a hot climate without refrigeration they learned how to keep food healthy and health giving. And how to make do with what they had at hand.  Just think of the humble garbanzo bean, in channa dal, pakoras(tempura-like), papadoms(crackers), puddings, laddoos(fudge), etc.  The type of chili used in some dishes is quite specific and depending on which state you are in and what ethnic group. Some eschue onions, garlic and chili....each cuisine is as different from each other as Finnish and Greek foods are, but most want to lump them all in together as weird yellow stuff that's too hot...too bad, more for me.

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I personally don't like curry and unfortunately most India dishes you find in restaurants are based on curry spicing.  However there are many dishes without curry and as cafemediterraneo said as you travel India you will find many regional dishes which are quite tasty and don't use any curry.  I have found in all the places I have traveled the markets always offer a variety of chili's of which there must be hundred's of varieties.  I just trust the restaurant to know what is best for their dish.      

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20 hours ago, cafemediterraneo said:

    In India food is their medicine. In a hot climate without refrigeration they learned how to keep food healthy and health giving. And how to make do with what they had at hand.

Very familiar with the whys  of spicy food in India and similar food cultures, in particular using the heat to combat the heat. What I was getting at was a response to Gringal's "On the "hot and spicy" issue, the flavor of the dish itself does not depend on the level of heat." I used Mexican food as an example, but the very same holds true for Indian food: without the pepper, there would be no flavor. Every pepper has a unique flavor, and so one cannot separate the flavor of the dish from the level of heat in many instances. And ironically, most recipes for Indian food found via Google just call for "chilis". Now, if I were to pick a pepper that had a heat rating of 100,000 Scovilles, it wouldn't matter whether I used 10 or 20 in a dish: the heat level would stay the same, but it might become more flavorul.

And I really like Gringal's crema solution.

In any case, I am not a fan of superhot, in Indian food or chicken wings. But I certainly looking forward to trying Al Meraj's diversified menu, if they are able to offer the same here as they do in Guadalajara.

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15 hours ago, AndyPanda said:

Very familiar with the whys  of spicy food in India and similar food cultures, in particular using the heat to combat the heat. What I was getting at was a response to Gringal's "On the "hot and spicy" issue, the flavor of the dish itself does not depend on the level of heat." I used Mexican food as an example, but the very same holds true for Indian food: without the pepper, there would be no flavor. Every pepper has a unique flavor, and so one cannot separate the flavor of the dish from the level of heat in many instances. And ironically, most recipes for Indian food found via Google just call for "chilis". Now, if I were to pick a pepper that had a heat rating of 100,000 Scovilles, it wouldn't matter whether I used 10 or 20 in a dish: the heat level would stay the same, but it might become more flavorul.

And I really like Gringal's crema solution.

In any case, I am not a fan of superhot, in Indian food or chicken wings. But I certainly looking forward to trying Al Meraj's diversified menu, if they are able to offer the same here as they do in Guadalajara.

Yes hot dishes can have different flavours. My favourite Thai place was on St Clair Ave W in Tranna. with only 5 tables and every dish was super hot but had a different flavour. To enjoy that I had beer and waited a bit for the next course. I do like hot for most Indian and Thai and medium hot for some Mexican dishes.

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